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Throughout history, the influence of the full Moon on humans and animals has featured in folklore and myths. Yet it has become increasingly apparent that many organisms really are influenced indirectly, and in some cases directly, by the lunar cycle. Here are ten things you may not know concerning the way the Moon affects life on Earth.

The post 10 things you may not know about our Moon appeared first on OUPblog.

By Jose M. Madiedo

On 11 September 2013, an unusually long and bright impact flash was observed on the Moon. Its peak luminosity was equivalent to a stellar magnitude of around 2.9.

What happened? A meteorite with a mass of around 400 kg hit the lunar surface at a speed of over 61,000 kilometres per hour.

Rocks often collide with the lunar surface at high speed (tens of thousands of kilometres per hour) and are instantaneously vaporised at the impact site. This gives rise to a thermal glow that can be detected by telescopes from Earth as short duration flashes. These flashes, in general, last just a fraction of a second.

The extraordinary flash in September was recorded from Spain by two telescopes operating in the framework of the Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System (MIDAS). These devices were aimed to the same area in the night side of the Moon. With a duration of over eight seconds, this is the brightest and longest confirmed impact flash ever recorded on the Moon.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Our calculations show that the impact, which took place at 20:07 GMT, created a new crater with a diameter of around 40 meters in Mare Nubium. This rock had a size raging between 0.6 and 1.4 metres. The impact energy was equivalent to over 15 tons of TNT under the assumption of a luminous efficiency of 0.002 (the fraction of kinetic energy converted into visible radiation as a consequence of the hypervelocity impact).

The detection of impact flashes is one of the techniques suitable to analyze the flux of incoming bodies to the Earth. One of the characteristics of the lunar impacts monitoring technique is that it is not possible to unambiguously associate an impact flash with a given meteoroid stream. Nevertheless, our analysis shows that the most likely scenario is that the impactor had a sporadic origin (i.e., was not associated to any known meteoroid stream). From the analysis of this event we have learnt that that one metre-sized objects may strike our planet about ten times as often as previously thought.

Dr. Jose Maria Madiedo is a professor at Universidad de Huelva. He is the author of “A large lunar impact blast on 2013 September 11” in the most recent issue of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society is one of the world’s leading primary research journals in astronomy and astrophysics, as well as one of the longest established. It publishes the results of original research in astronomy and astrophysics, both observational and theoretical.

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The post A record-breaking lunar impact appeared first on OUPblog.

        

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By David Rothery

There’s a Patrick Moore-sized hole in the world of astronomy and planetary science that is unlikely ever to be exactly filled. He presented “The Sky at Night,” a monthly BBC TV astronomy programme, from 1957 until his death. This brought him celebrity, and the books that he wrote for the amateur enthusiast were bought or borrowed in vast numbers from public libraries for half a century — including by myself as a schoolboy. Patrick was the mainstay of the BBC’s Apollo Moon-landing coverage that those of us of a certain age will never forget, and there can be few amateur or professional astronomers who grew up in the UK without having been influenced by him. Tributes posted on the Internet show that he was known and admired beyond these shores too. They also attest to Patrick’s extraordinary generosity, exemplified by numerous accounts of how he replied to letters from strangers (of whom in the early 1970s I was one) or took time to chat after his lectures.

Patrick served with distinction and under age as a navigator with Bomber Command during the war. I believe (on the basis of dark hints made during late night conversations) that he also spent time on special operations in occupied Poland, where his youth and assumed Irish identity afforded him a plausible (but surely high-risk) cover story. An encounter with what he referred to as ‘a working concentration camp’ led to his lifelong professed dislike of Germans (“apart from Werner von Braun, the only good German I ever met”).

After the war, Patrick became a school teacher and also very active in the British Astronomical Association notably in its lunar section on account of his painstaking and careful observations of the Moon, some of which were to prove useful for both the American and Soviet lunar missions. He became a friend of the science fiction visionary Arthur C. Clarke, with whom he shared the authorship of Asteroid (2005) sold in aid of Sri Lankan tsunami relief.

I first met Patrick when we were speakers at a meeting to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the discovery of Neptune, so that must have been 1996. He spoke about Neptune itself, and I about its main satellite Triton. Afterwards he was kind enough to remark that he had read my book (Satellites of the Outer Planets). Our first joint TV appearance was “Live from Mars,” an Open University TV programme on a Saturday morning in 1997 when NASA’s Mars Pathfinder landed, allowing us to broadcast the first new pictures from the surface of Mars for nearly 20 years. I became an occasional guest on “The Sky at Night” more recently, which led to a friendship, as with so many of his guests. The programme was usually recorded at Patrick’s home in Selsey, and Patrick delighted to put his guests up overnight, rather than send them to a nearby hotel. That was a cue for an impressively-laden supper table, copious quantities of lubricant, and entertaining — if sometimes outrageous — conversation. Patrick had a wry sense of humour, and would self-parody his supposed extreme views. However, I think he was being serious when, or several occasions, he styled a certain recent US President as “a dangerous lunatic”.

I witnessed Patrick’s mobility decline from walking sticks, to zimmer frame, to wheelchair. His once famously rapid speech became slurry, but his mind and monocle-assisted eyesight stayed sharp. Co-presenters assumed larger and large roles on “The Sky at Night,” but Patrick was always there as the pivotal host. I last saw him less than three weeks before his death, when I guested on what was to prove his last “Sky at Night.” He was drowsy at first, but his intellect soon kicked in. He steered our discussion as ably as of old, and we were treated to a vintage Patrick moment of scepticism “When someone gives me a cupful of lunar water, then I’ll admit I was wrong.”

I lingered afterwards for a chat — inevitably partly about cats. Noticing the time, Patrick ordered a gin and tonic for each of us, and was soon involved in good-natured banter with his carer about why she would not let him have a second. He encouraged me to write a book about Mercury, and kindly agreed to write the foreword if I did. That’s an offer that I shall no longer be able to take him up on, but wherever you are, Patrick, I hope someone’s brought you that cupful of lunar water by now.

Patrick Moore with David Rothery earlier this year.

David Rothery is a Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the Open University UK, where he chairs a course on planetary science and the search for life. He is the author of Planets: A Very Short Introduction.

Image credit: Image is the personal property of David Rothery. Used with permission. Do not reproduce without explicit permission of David Rothery.

The post In memoriam: Patrick Moore appeared first on OUPblog.

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This year, the Chinese New Year begins today, February 3^rd, and people all around the world will be ringing in the year of the Rabbit.  Oxford Chinese Dictionary editor Julie Kleeman shares some insight into the traditions associated with the Chinese New Year celebrations.

The Spring Festival

Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (春节 chunjie) is a fifteen-day celebration beginning on the second new moon after the winter solstice and ending on the full moon fifteen days later.

Sounds complicated? That’s because when marking traditional holidays the Chinese still use a lunisolar calendar, a system that incorporates elements of the lunar calendar with those of the solar calendar.

The Oxford Chinese Dictionary boasts a centre section that contains, among a host of useful lists including those containing Chinese measure words, kinship terms, ethnic groups, SMS abbreviations and a chronology of Chinese historical and cultural events, a page dedicated to Chinese festivals and holidays, featuring brief descriptions of each event and its corresponding date in the lunar calendar.

The list kicks off with 正月初 – the first of the first lunar month, i.e. the New Year, or 春节 chunjie. If the information provided here whets your appetite for more, you can always look up the term itself, and just below the entry for 春节 chunjie you’ll find a handy culture panel on this, the most important of Chinese festivals.

Food

According to the boxed note, 春节 chunjie is a time for families to reunite for a celebratory meal. The main New Year celebrations take place on New Year’s Eve or  除夕 chuxi. This is the biggest of all New Year’s spreads and the dinner is likely to include a veritable feast of delicacies. Chief among them is fish, because 鱼 or yu (the Chinese word for ‘fish’) sounds a lot like 余 or yu (the Chinese word for ‘abundance’).

In northern China no New Year’s Eve is complete without 饺子 (jiaozi), the dumplings, boiled in water, for which northern cuisine is famous. The Oxford Chinese Dictionary contains a culture box dedicated to the popular snack, explaining how it is made and why it is such a staple of the New Year’s feast.

Greetings

One of the most popular greetings at this time of year is 恭喜发财 gongxi facai or ‘may you be prosperous!’ Look up 恭喜 gongxi in the dictionary and you will find 恭喜发财 gongxi facai listed as an example. You will also find a cross-reference to a usage box on popular Chinese greetings or 问候 wenhou that contains other ways of wishing a happy New Year to your Chinese friends.

Spring Festival couplets

Having the dictionary to hand during the Chinese Spring Festival might also help you to decipher 春联 chunlian or ‘Spring Festival couplets’, the black Chinese characters on bright red paper that are pasted up and hung on doorways and storefronts in the run-up to the Chinese New Year.

There are a huge variety of Spring Festival couplets to suit the scenario. Stores generally use couplets that make references to their line of trade, summoning in good fortune in businesses, or a good reputation. At family homes, couplets usually contain messages that invite good luck and happiness for the coming year.

Each couplet is made up of two lines of verse called the “head” and “tail”, which correspond with one other phonologically and syntactically word-for-word and phrase-for-phrase. The “head” is posted on the right side of the front door and the “tail

Multiple eclipses this year have created an overall effect on the world, and depending on the birth horoscopes, individuals each have a personal response.  The most difficult aspect of interpreting eclipses is that the effects don’t occur when it’s happening.

According to Robert Hand, a world renowned, prolific astrologer, solar eclipses can begin having an influence either before or after the actual event. Not only is each of the following eclipses striated with multiple angles to the sun,  there’s a trine aspect to planet Uranus. The entire world will have reactions to the energy of these three events.

July 7 lunar eclipse - sets the background for the upcoming eclipses, and involves the energy of Cancer and Leo (the third eclipse) The lesser known intrinsic qualities of Cancer brings speculation of the general effects that begin on this date.

More than the typical nurturer imagery, Cancer also homogenizes various elements of the inner being that lead to a spiritual awakening within.  Around the world, different people are getting together due to the group, or family influence of Cancer.  A good example of this is Barack Obama’s liaison with China’s top government officials.

July 22 solar eclipse – a solar eclipse occurring only a few days before the Sun occupies the sign of Leo.  The energy of this eclipse will tend to merge with the energies of the next.  In general, any misconceived aspirations will come to light under the sun, which is the planetary ruler of Leo.  In short, expect the light of day to be shed on certain situations around the world, as well as on an interpersonal level. 

Image via Wikipedia

August 6 lunar eclipse – the third eclipse and the Leo Solar Festival that is also called the Festival of Sirius is the most important of the three events. 

Astrology - Imagery of a study that comes to fruition is also comparable to reaching the peak of a mountain on an individual level.  Worldwide, the effects won’t be known until October, which will be here soon enough.

In any event, Leo seems to be rife for some movement concerning recent pursuits, especially those of a spiritual nature.

Malvin Artley, an excellent astrologer with a background in engineering and fines arts presents information through a spiritual perspective.  In his newsletter Malvin confesses - “We don’t know what is going to happen, but I do know that we will not likely have conditions for inner growth like these next few years again for some time to come and we need to make the most of them.”  He gives a few hints indicating probable explosions due to the influence of Leo astrology, which is a fire sign that in turn is blends with the influence of the quixotic energies of planet Uranus.

Image via Wikipedia

Ref

Planets in Transit

By Robert Hand

Astrology on the Web - http://www.astrologycom.com/signmalvin.html

Malvin Artley

The American Ephemeris

Neil Michelson

Multiple eclipses this year have created an overall effect on the world, and depending on the birth horoscopes, individuals each have a personal response.  The most difficult aspect of interpreting eclipses is that the effects don’t occur when it’s happening.

According to Robert Hand, a world renowned, prolific astrologer, solar eclipses can begin having an influence either before or after the actual event. Not only is each of the following eclipses striated with multiple angles to the sun,  there’s a trine aspect to planet Uranus. The entire world will have reactions to the energy of these three events.

July 7 lunar eclipse - sets the background for the upcoming eclipses, and involves the energy of Cancer and Leo (the third eclipse) The lesser known intrinsic qualities of Cancer brings speculation of the general effects that begin on this date.

More than the typical nurturer imagery, Cancer also homogenizes various elements of the inner being that lead to a spiritual awakening within.  Around the world, different people are getting together due to the group, or family influence of Cancer.  A good example of this is Barack Obama’s liaison with China’s top government officials.

July 22 solar eclipse – a solar eclipse occurring only a few days before the Sun occupies the sign of Leo.  The energy of this eclipse will tend to merge with the energies of the next.  In general, any misconceived aspirations will come to light under the sun, which is the planetary ruler of Leo.  In short, expect the light of day to be shed on certain situations around the world, as well as on an interpersonal level. 

Image via Wikipedia

August 6 lunar eclipse – the third eclipse and the Leo Solar Festival that is also called the Festival of Sirius is the most important of the three events. 

Astrology - Imagery of a study that comes to fruition is also comparable to reaching the peak of a mountain on an individual level.  Worldwide, the effects won’t be known until October, which will be here soon enough.

In any event, Leo seems to be rife for some movement concerning recent pursuits, especially those of a spiritual nature.

Malvin Artley, an excellent astrologer with a background in engineering and fines arts presents information through a spiritual perspective.  In his newsletter Malvin confesses - “We don’t know what is going to happen, but I do know that we will not likely have conditions for inner growth like these next few years again for some time to come and we need to make the most of them.”  He gives a few hints indicating probable explosions due to the influence of Leo astrology, which is a fire sign that in turn is blends with the influence of the quixotic energies of planet Uranus.

Image via Wikipedia

Ref

Planets in Transit

By Robert Hand

Astrology on the Web - http://www.astrologycom.com/signmalvin.html

Malvin Artley

The American Ephemeris

Neil Michelson